


Teenage Dirtbag

by SugarButterBandstand



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Angst, Band Fic, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Original Character(s), Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:14:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24245596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarButterBandstand/pseuds/SugarButterBandstand
Relationships: Patrick Hockstetter/Original Character(s), Richie Tozier/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

"Not yet, Mike, wait," Marlene whispered with urgency. Mike sighed as he looked back down at the camera.   
"What? I have band practice."   
"I know I just. Look, I don't want to sit here alone with my thoughts for the rest of the night."   
"Marley, you need to make some friends."   
"I have friends. They just don't want to hang out with me anymore because I keep blowing them off to pack." Mike sighed.   
"Than watch some of our concert videos on YouTube if you're gonna miss me so bad."   
"You finally put some up?"   
"Yep they're on Eddie's YouTube channel." A knock on a door in the background took Mike's attention off his moping cousin. "Look that's Richie so I gotta go okay love you." He hung up before Marlene could ask what Eddie's last name was. She opened YouTube and typed in Mike's bands name instead. Only two videos came up, but one of them took her to the channel she was looking for. There were more videos there. Marlene shook her head. If Mike and his band wanted publicity, they needed to learn to tag their videos better. She clicked on the most recent video, titled 'Old Friends- Original song.' Mike was on bass, his face scrunched up in the way their entire family was prone to. Next to him was the only girl, their lead singer. She thought her name was Beverly. On her other side was another boy on guitar, and behind him a boy with dark, curly hair playing the keyboard. The last band member was a red headed boy playing the drums, and Marlenes eyes widened as they passed over him. She was tempted to text Mike and ask his name. He was pretty much exactly her type. She felt bad, watching videos of her cousins performances and not even looking at him, but hopefully he could forgive her. She fell asleep like that, laying on her arm with her phone stretched out in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2

Two weeks later, Marlene had worn out the Lovers Club artist page on Spotify. It was practically all she had been listening to during the process of preparing to move from New York City to Derry, Maine. Packing up the car and preparing to hit the road for the 7 hour drive, she put her earbuds in and pressed play again. She smiled at the first song to play, a cover of Watskys 'Welcome to the family'. She slid into the front seat and smiled weakly at her dad, who shut the door and waved at her. He had to stay behind to pay the last months rent for their apartment, and he was going to fly to meet them in a couple days. He had already driven Marlenes car to their new house, to take some of their stuff and finalize the purchase. Marlene leaned against the window, shutting her eyes and preparing for the next 7 hours on the road.   
"Well, kiddo, we're almost there," Marlene heard. She blinked. She had slept almost the entire drive, and she looked around, disoriented, at the street signs they were passing by.   
"Hey, Mom, can you drop me off at Mike's?" Marley's mother, Shannon, had called Mike's grandparents when they crossed the Maine border, letting them know they were safe and nearly home. The Hanlons were expecting them, but Marlene saw the sign indicating the farm was approaching and quickly decided she didn't want to go straight home.   
"Are you sure? Don't you want to go home and rest some?"   
"Mom, I've been asleep for hours. I want to go see Mike. Get some stability, you know." Shannon sighed, merging into a turning lane.   
"Yeah. That makes sense. You two should catch up. Gramma and Grandpa know where the house is, so talk to them when you leave or call me, okay?" Marley nodded. She had been to the Hanlon farm once in her life, when she was very little, for Mike's parents funeral. She didn't remember it well. She did remember the front of the house, though, and it hadn't changed a bit. Mike was sitting on the front steps when they pulled up. He ran to the car, hardly waiting for Marley to step out onto the dirt of the driveway before pulling her into a tight hug.   
"I'm glad you're here," he told her as they parted.   
"Me too." Mike waved through the windshield ar Marlenes mom.   
"Hey Shannon."   
"Hey Mike," she called back, as she leaned over to shut the passenger door. She waved as she backed the car down the driveway.   
"Lucky for you, the bands about to practice. Wanna join?" Marlene nodded eagerly, holding up her phone to show Mike what she had been listening to. "No way. That's where all our listens have been coming from." Marlene shook her head as Mike threw his arm tightly around her shoulders. "Look who just showed up on our doorstep," Mike called as he dragged Marley through the house.   
"Marpene Harper," Mike's grandmother said affectionately, standing from the kitchen table and holding out her arms. Marlene stepped into the hug with a warm smile on her face. Mike and Marley had the same great grandparents, but she always called Mike's grandparents Gramma and Grandpaw anyways, just like her mom had, even though they were really her aunt and uncle. "I don't know where Grandpa is. Mike, are you headed to the barn?" Mike nodded. "Go find that girl a jacket first. It's too cold." Marlene laughed.   
"Its colder in New York right now, Gramma. I'm wearing a long shirt and pants, I'm fine." She heard Gramma mumble something else, but they were already on the back porch. "Shes a mess," Marlene giggled as they stepped of the stairs. Mike nodded.   
"So where's the new house?"   
"No idea. Mom said Gramma and Grandpa have the address."  
"Nowhere near here, that's for sure. We're on the very outskirts of Derry right now." Marlene could hear music coming from the smallest barn on the property. Mike pushed the door completely open to reveal the rehearsal space to Marley.   
"Nice," she commented sarcastically, kicking at the straw on the ground.   
"Hey guys!" Mike shouted. Everyone looked up from what they were doing. Marlene recognized all the faces in the barn from the videos of the bands performances. "This is my cousin Marley. She just moved from New York." Everyone waved. "Marley, that's Stan, Bev, Bill, and Richie." Mike pointed out everyone in turn. Richie was the drummer. "I'm gonna go warm up," he gestured at his Bass guitar, on a stand in the corner of the room. "Go make friends." Marley rolled her eyes, but headed straight for the elevated wooden floor area at the back of the barn that was acting as a stage.   
"Hey," she said casually, hands in her back pockets. Richie looked back up from his drums and grinned at the girl in front of him.   
"Hey. I'm Richie." He tossed his drumstick into his right hand and stuck out his left.   
"Marley." She shook his hand eagerly.   
"So your Mike's cousin?" She nodded. "He mentioned you, I think. Not exactly what I expected."   
"What, you didn't expect me to be white?" Richie shrugged.   
"Basically."   
"Yeah. We get that a lot. We are related though, swear."   
"I believe you." Richie started to turn back to his drums.   
"So, I'm a big fan of you guys music. Listened to your stuff the whole drive out."   
"You drove here? How long is that ride, like 8 hours?"   
"About 7 and a half, yeah. So, uh, thanks for keeping me entertained, I guess." Richie laughed.   
"You play?" He asked, nodding towards his drums.   
"Definitely not. I sing though. I actually did theater at home."   
"So I guess music runs in your family."   
"Basically. Our other cousin sings too."   
"You do any sports?" Bill, the guitar player, asked from where he sat on the edge of the stage, practicing a song she didn't recognize. "Or is that just a Mike thing?"   
"That's just Mike," Marlene said with a laugh. "I bake."   
"Wow, are we suddenly in high school musical?" Bev said, turning around. Richie and Bill raised their eyebrows at her, confused. "Sports? Singing? Baking?" Both boys faces were still blank. "You're useless," she said with a laugh. Marlene hopped off the stage and approached Bev at the keyboard.   
"Someday, I hope to make the perfect creme brulee," she whispered in Bevs ear. Bev turned back around.   
"I like you already. I'm Bev." She stuck out her hand. Marlene pulled her phone out of her pocket and pointed at her screen, which still had her music pulled up.   
"I know. You're my favorite." Bev laughed and pulled Marlene in for a friendly side hug.   
"So what do you bake?" She leaned casually against the keyboard.   
"Cake. I mostly decorate them actually. Although sometimes I stress bake and those are the best brownies and red velvet cupcakes you'll ever have."   
"I sure hope you get stressed easy, because those both sound amazing." Both girls laughed. "Oh, and this is Stan." Bev gestured to the boy playing the keyboard next to her.   
"Hey."   
"Hey."   
"So what are you guys practicing right now?"   
"We've actually got a show in here tonight. So we're just sort of warming up."   
"Oh that's awesome."   
"Stan and I were trying to set up some harmonies for Barracuda that he can plug in," she gestured again at the keyboard. "Its not going well." Bev playfully smacked the back of his head.   
"I can help. I'm pretty good at matching harmonies."  
"That would be fantastic." When Marlene started singing, Richie looked up from the drums. She wasn't as annoying as he thought she would be when Mike mentioned his 'little cousin'. She was pretty, and definitely had something that other girls in Derry didn't. He wouldn't mind her sticking around.


	3. Chapter 3

Marlene trudged back to the barn to get a good spot for the concert. She had gone back to the house after the introductions to get something to eat. While she was having a dinner of reheated mac and cheese and a homemade chicken sandwich, Marley learned that Mike had kept a secret from her. She heard something clicking on the kitchen floor, and had looked down to find a large black cat looking up at her. She had been tempted to smuggle it back to the barn in the pockets of the jacket Gramma had forced her into. Marley was surprised to find a small line outside the partially opened barn door. She walked to the front in an attempt to squeeze through the door, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.   
"There's a cover."   
"I'm sorry?" Marlene turned to her left and saw a boy about her age in a blue sweatshirt holding put his hand.   
"5 bucks. Covers the cost of the barn." Of course Grandpa would charge Mike to use the old barn.   
"I'm Mike's cousin." The boy looked her up and down, incredulous, and shook his head.   
"Sorry. I got in trouble with Mike before for letting people in for free." Marley just shook her head and reached into her pocket, praying she had cash on her and that she wouldn't have to walk back to the house to get Grandpa to force this kid to let her in.   
"Here." She dropped a crumpled up five in his hand and he waved her in. "I'm getting that back," she called over her shoulder as she marched inside. She was shocked by the amount of people already milling around inside. She squeezed through the crowd to get up to the stage, but she didn't see Mike. Richie noticed her looking around and motioned for her to join him at his drum set.   
"Looking for Mike?"   
"Yeah. He owes me money."   
"You just got here and you're already collecting debts?"   
"Some kid just charged me 5 bucks to get into my own family's barn." Richie shook his head, the backwards hat he was wearing slipping down over his forehead.   
"Ben. Did you tell him who you were?"   
"Yeah. He didn't believe me. Obviously." Richie stuck his hand into his back pocket and pulled something out.   
"Here," he said, handing her a crisp 10 dollar bill. "Ben's a great guy, just gets a little carried away sometimes. Takes his job very seriously." He made a mocking face.   
"I don't have change for this," Marlene said, cautiously taking the money.   
"Its cool. I'll take it out of Ben's paycheck." Richie rolled his eyes. "Buy yourself something nice, Hanlon."   
"Harper."   
"Huh?"   
"My last names Harper, not Hanlon. We have the same great grandparents." Richie just shrugged.   
"Whatever. See you after the show, Harper. And get you a spot up front, if you can. Views great." He winked at her and turned to his drums. Marlene bit her lip and jumped off the stage. Mike intercepted her immediately.   
"Hey Marley."   
"Hey. Where have you been?" Mike held out two bottles for her to inspect.   
"Refreshments. 3 bucks a pop."   
"Beer?" Mike shook his head.   
"Of the root variety. Me and Bill are switching the bottles outside." Marlene laughed. "Go grab you something. Right outside the door." Mike nodded towards the direction he had come from.   
"Thanks. Oh, and you might want to go brief your security guard on our family tree." Mike sighed.   
"Ben give you trouble?"   
"Its fine. Richie reimbursed me." Mike headed farther into the barn and Marlene stepped into the crisp night air of the backyard.   
"What's your poison?" To her right, Bill was kneeling on the ground, pouring a bottle of beer into a lemonade pitcher.   
"Um, Sprite. If you have it." Bill held up two Sprite bottles.   
"Regular or special sauce?" Marlene rolled her eyes  
"Regular. So what do you with all this leftover?" Bill opened one of the bottles and sniffed it. He made a face and handed the other bottle to Marley.   
"There. Usually we save it for after the show."   
"You drink all of that? Actually?"   
"Most of it. Okay not most of it. Some. Most of it goes back to your grandpa."   
"Grandpa buys you this stuff?" "Yeah cause he knows we use the bottles."   
"I don't believe him. He's a mess." Bill shook his head.   
"Sure is." Mike stuck his head out the door.   
"Hey Bill, got those whiskeys ready yet?" He winked.   
"Almost."   
"I'll see you two inside," Marlene said with a laugh. She slipped under Mike's arm and back into the barn. The barn was almost full now, and Marlene took a swig of her Sprite as she attempted to squeeze through the bodies pressed against the stage. Beverly waved from the stage where she and Stan were setting up the keyboard. Marlene waved back, taking her eyes off the crowd long enough to walk straight into someone. "Shit, sorry," she said.   
"Its fine." She noticed the boy she had collided with held a video camera in his hands.   
"Hey, uh, are you Eddie?" He looked startled.   
"Yeah. Who are you?"   
"I'm Marley. I'm Mike's cousin." She stuck her hand out. Eddie shook it.   
"Nice to meet you." Marlene took another drink of her Sprite.   
"You too. Hey, can I give you some constructive criticism?"   
"Um... sure?"   
"When you post concert videos on YouTube, you should tag them more. And make sure the band's name is in the title. It makes them very hard to find the way they are now."   
"Huh. Thanks for the tip."   
"Sure."


	4. Chapter 4

Marley watched as all the teenagers filed out of the barn, pretending to be drunk and giggling loudly as they left the property. The band was outside, thanking people for coming and taking turns taking bathroom breaks. Ben and Eddie were cleaning up, but Eddie insisted that Marley not do any work on her first night in town. She lifted herself onto the stage and wandered back to Richies drums. It was stupid for her to be this infatuated with him already, she knew, but that didn't stop her from sitting down in hist stool and replaying the past hour and a half in her mind. She was probably just imagining all the looks he had given her, the way he smiled and winked and waved during certain lines, singing certain lyrics while staring directly at her. It couldn't have meant anything. But it couldn't hurt to dream.   
"You partying with us, Harper?" Marlenes eyes snapped open and she looked over her shoulder to find Richie staring down at her.  
"Yeah. Guess so. I can't exactly go home yet because I don't know my address." Richie scoffed.   
"Right." Marlene shifted in her seat as Richie reached around her to grab a bottle off the floor. When he stood back up, he had her trapped against the drum set. "I could show you how to play sometime," he said. He must have noticed the way she stared down a lot the drums, mostly to avoid letting him see how red her face was getting. "See you out there," he said awkwardly when she didn't respond, patting her shoulder like they were teammates getting ready to take the feild at a football game. She watched him leave out the back door of the barn. She shook her head and stood up. Everyone else had gathered around the cooler when Marlene stepped outside. Mike started a raucous round of applause when she appeared and she took a seat by Bev as everyone clapped.   
"Thanks for the warm welcome," she mumbled. Richie, who sat opposite her, opened the cooler.   
"You don't have to drink if you don't want to," Bev whispered to her. Marley smiled. She already liked it here. She sat on her knees to look inside the cooler, taking stock of all the empty alcohol bottles and corresponding contraband soda bottles opposite.   
"Can you tell which is which?" Bill asked from across the circle. Marlene nodded. She plucked a Sprite bottle put and sat back to allow someone else to pick. When she opened it, she discovered it was the one Bill had kept to himself earlier in the night. After everyone had chosen their drink, Mike placed an empty Vodka bottle in the center of the circle.   
"Spin the bottle would you rather," he said to Marley. "Whoever it lands on has to answer your question, than they spin." Marley nodded. Mike spun. It landed on Bev.   
"Okay. Would you rather fight a vampire or a rabid dog?"   
"Easy." Bev took a swig of the rum sloshing in her Coke bottle. "Vampire. Because I can seduce him." Everyone in the circle rolled their eyes. Bev spun. "Okay, Eddie. Would you rather go skydiving or swim with sharks?" Eddie's face paled.   
"Neither!"   
"Well you have to pick." Bev leaned over to whisper in Marley's ear while he thought. "His mom is like a huge hypochondriac. She hates him coming to these things. The fear was genetic." Eddie sighed loudly, drawing the girls attention back to him.   
"Okay. I would rather go swimming with sharks. Because statistically, they won't attack unless they're provoked." He spun the bottle quickly. It landed on Stan. "Um. Stanley. Would you rather. Uh. Have a dog or be a dog?" Everyone in the circle giggled at Eddie's awkward question. Marley heard Bev whisper something about 'awful' as she took another drink. Marley opened her bottle and took a sip. It hurt. She made a face like she had swallowed a lemon, and when she looked back at the circle Richie was laughing at her. She took a longer drink. She would be damned if she couldn't make this boy like her. Slowly, the spins started to slur together, and as bottles got emptier questions became less coherent, and laughter louder.   
"Marley," Mike called, still in hysterics over his last answer. "Would you rather eat a 20 pound plate of pasta and face the consequences, or drink 20 gallons of milk the day of a show?"   
"Pasta. I'd at least enjoy doing that."   
"Wait," Eddie said, the only completely sober member of the group. "What consequences?"  
"Marley is gluten intolerant," Mike said. "So if she eats a bunch of flour, shell have to sh-"   
"SHUT UP!" Marley shouted, cutting him off urgently. "My turn." She leaned forward to spin the bottle, knocking over the remains of her Sprite bottle as she did so. "Richie." He looked up at her and raised his eyebrows. "Would you rather..." she looked slowly around the circle, deliberating. "Kiss me or B- Mike." She was going to say Bev, but why not bring Mike into it too. It made it less weird. At least, to drunk Marlene it did. Richie's face remained completely blank, but Stan burts into hysterics.   
"Is their something you'd like to tell us about your cousin, Marlene?" And the rest of the circle quickly became distracted by Stans outburst, Marlene remained focused on Richie.   
"You. I love Mike but I'm not one to ruin a good friendship like that. Rather just do it with a stranger and get it over with." Marlene was passed the point of processing anything after 'you', but Bev had tuned out the rest of the boys commotion to listen to Richies answer. They made eye contact as he looked away from Marlene, and she realized that he might not have been as drunk as he seemed. 

Mike's breath made tendrils of smoke in the night air that Marlene watched with delight as they walked along the road. It was nearly 11:30 now, and the dark made Marley shiver. Or maybe it was just the freezing night air.   
"I can come over in the morning and help you unpack some if you want," Mike said casually.   
"I doubt I'll be awake." Marley had gotten the chance to sober up some back at Mike's. When the 8 friends had all gone back inside after their drunken would you rather, she had made a beeline for the kitchen, to reheat the rest of the mac and cheese she had started on for dinner. Gramma had insisted she take the other half of the pan home with her so she and her mom would have food in the house, and she readjusted the green Tupperware container under her arm as she walked.   
"You're probably right." Marlene sighed and Mike inspected her face.   
"Did you have a good time tonight?" She nodded.  
"Yeah! I finally got to see my favorite band perform." She giggled.   
"Do you think you're going to like it here?" She nodded again.   
"Yeah. I think so." Mike smiled at his cousin.   
"I'm glad. I'm glad you're here. It's nice to have some family around." Marley leaned her head on Mike's shoulder, and he put his arm around hers. "Now if we could just convince Max to move up here," he began. Marlene rolled her eyes. Max was the mother of their third cousin, Mason. Mason completed the MN triangle, the club that she, Marley, and Mike had invented when they were younger. So named because even though they all were on a different branch in the family tree, they all had the same initials. Marlene Harper, Micheal Hanlon, and Mason Harris.   
"I'm mad at you," Marlene said suddenly.   
"What? Why?" Mike pulled away from their embrace and looked seriously at her face.   
"Because you didn't tell me you have a cat." Mike rolled his eyes as they continued their walk. As Mike and Marley approached her new house, the front door opened and Shannon stepped outside.   
"You haven't even been here yet," Mike pointed out as they reached the driveway.  
"Nope. Why don't you come by tomorrow afternoon and we'll take the tour together." Mike laughed.   
"Sure." They waved at each other as Marley reached the porch.   
"Mike. Do you want a ride home? I know it's a long walk."   
"I'm okay." Shannon turned around.  
"You'll be good here by yourself?" Marley was already curled up on the couch, the only piece of furniture in the house. She shrugged. Shannon stepped outside and shut the door behind her. By the time she returned from taking Mike home, Marley was fast asleep on the couch.


	5. Chapter 5

Mike arrived at Marley's new house at 11 am sharp Saturday Morning. He shook awake and stuffed a plate in her hands.   
"Gramma made you breakfast," he said, with no other explanation. Marley lifted the tinfoil on the plate and looked over it's contents. The eggs, bacon, and Sausage were all still warm.   
"So want to go exploring?" She asked as picked up a piece of bacon.   
"Maybe. But we need to be ready to go by 11:30."  
"Go where?" Marley mumbled.  
"Farmers market. I sell meat and stuff from the farm and Gramma said you could come with us. You get paid for it." Marley thought for a second than stood up.   
"Cool. I'll be right back." Marley left her plate on the couch and got up to look through her suitcase to find something to wear. She went into the bathroom to change and do her hair and makeup. Mike handed her a water bottle when she came back into the living room.  
"You ready?"   
"Yeah. Thanks." She took a long drink of her water. Marlene checked her phone as she put her shoes on. There was a text from her mom. 'I'm at the grocery store. Text me if you go anywhere.' She texted her back before she left with Mike.  
"So the band will probably be down at some point today to laugh at us being farm kids. But it's a ritual for us that everytime one of us gets a new job the rest of us go harass them and take their picture."   
"Cute. You guys are a fun group to be around." Mike smiled.   
"Yeah. The most fun a person can have is being a loser." At the farmers market, Mike lead Marley to Gramma and Grandpa. Marley hadn't gotten to talk to Grandpa last night, and she gave him a big hug as she approached their tent.  
"Good to have you here girl," he said.  
"Mike said you could use the extra help." Marley knew what he meant, he was glad she was in Derry, but she couldn't help but joke.   
"Well, now that you both are here, we're taking off. Mike'll show you how we do it." Marley nodded and took a seat in one of the folding chairs under the tent. Mike explained the set up of the booth to her. Red cooler was lamb, blue was beef, and cardboard box was wool. Everything was packaged already. Mike would take the money and count it and Marley could grab the orders and write receipts.   
"Can I go look around first?" She asked. Mike shrugged.   
"Sure. If you buy me a lemonade."  
"Cool." 

"Ooh, are you a farmer now too, Harper?" Marley looked up from the package of meat she was handing to Mike to find Richie staring her down and holding a camera. It clicked before she could respond.   
"You're part of the tradition now," Mike said casually as he handed the customer their purchase. "Wheres everyone else?" He asked Richie.   
"Aren't here yet. I had to come document this occasion."  
"Hey Mike." All three kids at the table looked up to see where the voice had come from. A pretty girl with short brown hair was approaching their table. Richie rolled his eyes.   
"Hi, Betty," Mike said.   
"Bye, Betty," Richie mumbled, and stalked away from the table.   
"What's his problem?" Marley whispered to Mike. He didn't answer.  
"What can I get for you?"  
"Nothing. I just wanted to stop by." She looked over the booth and seemed to notice Marley for the first time. "Oh. Who's that?"   
"Betty, that's my cousin. She just moved from New York. Got here last night."  
"Oh, wow. I'm Betty." She turned to Marley and stuck out her hand.   
"Marley. I like your shirt." She was wearing a black tshirt with a hot pink and white logo on it for something Marley didn't recognize.   
"Thanks. It's my favorite band." Than she seemed to get an idea and turned to Mike. "Mike. Can I steal your cousin for a little bit? If it's her first day in Derry she definitely needs a break." Mike looked at Marley. She nodded. Mike shrugged.   
"Sure." Marley scooped up her water bottle and followed Betty into the main row of booths at the farmers market.  
"So how do you like Derry so far?"   
"I haven't seen much. But it's been cool. The nightlife is almost better than New York."   
"Oh, you must have gone to the concert last night than!" Marley nodded.   
"Yeah, I did."  
"Well, would you want to go to another one tonight?" Marley raised her eyebrows. Betty pointed to her shirt. "This band, the Bowers Gang, have a concert tonight. I honestly have a huge crush on the lead singer, but don't tell anyone, okay?"   
"Sure. I'd love to go. When and where?" Betty gave her the details.  
"I wouldn't tell your cousin though. The Lovers Club is kinda their enemy."  
"Why?" Betty sighed.  
"Its a long story." She and Marley had just reached the end of the long row of tents and tables and were beginning to turn back, when Betty grabbed her arm. "That's their bass player, Patrick. Wanna go say hi?"  
"Sure. Are you close with the band?" Betty rolled her eyes as she waved at the boy.   
"I'm basically their groupie. So we know each other." Marley laughed as they approached Patrick.  
"Hey Bets. What's up?" He was tall and lanky, at least 6'1", and he had long dark hair that hung down over his forehead. He was cute, that was for sure.   
"Patrick, this is Marley. She just moved here and she's coming to the show tonight." Patrick looked her up and down and smiled.   
"Nice to meet you. I hope you have a good time tonight. I'd hate to dissapoint someone new in town." Maybe it was just her imagination, but Marley swore she heard an alternate meaning in his words.   
"I'm sure it'll be great." Patrick checked his phone. "I gotta go. But uh, hey, make sure she gets a spot in the front, k Betty?" Betty nodded and both girls waved as he walked away. They began their walk back to the Hanlon Farms table.  
"Um, somebody totally likes you," Betty said. Marley rolled her eyes, an uncontrollable smile taking over her face.   
"So it wasn't just me?"  
"Definitely not."

Marley met Betty outside an old warehouse on Charter Street at 8 o'clock that night, wearing the same tshirt from that morning. It was from her old highschool, but the light grey looked good on her so she didn't mind too much.   
"You look excited," she commented to Betty as they entered. She noticed there was no entrance fee.   
"I'm always excited to see Greta," she said softly. Marley smiled at her.  
"Than let's find us a good spot up close." They practically dragged each other to the front, where a much more legitimate stage was set up.  
"So how did they manage all of this?" Marley asked.  
"Henry, the band's founder, his dad is the police chief. Got them permission to have the building as long as it's abandoned."   
"Wow." Loud footsteps near her head drew Marley's attention to the stage. A boy with almost comically slicked back hair was crouching down above them.  
"Hey Betty."  
"Oh. Henry, hi." He looked Marlene over.   
"Who's this?"   
"That's Marley. She just moved here." Henry nodded.  
"Cool. Can I get you ladies some beers?" Marlene and Betty looked at each other and shrugged.  
"Sure. I'll take one. Marley?"  
"Yeah. Um, one. Thanks." Henry nodded and left.  
"So who was that?"  
"Henry Bowers himself. Also known as Gretas boyfriend."   
"Yikes." Betty nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah." A boy with bleached blonde hair approached them and handed them each their beer.   
"Thanks."  
"Thanks Vic."  
"Sure thing." As Betty took her first drink, Marley suddenly became very conscious of her situation. Drinking in a strange place with somebody she just met this morning, out of a bottle that had been pre opened. She held the bottle by it's neck at her waist. There was no way she was drinking that now.


	6. Chapter 6

By the time the show was over, Marley was soaked with sweat. She had been jumping and dancing around from the moment the music began.  
"That was awesome," she told Betty, as the crowd began to clear out. She thought the turnout at the show last been had been surprising, but this crowd was nearly double the size.  
"Oh, we aren't done yet. We're totally gonna stay and party." Marley sighed.   
"I think I'm about partied out, Betty. We went pretty hard last night." Maybe not so hard, but the half bottle of vodka she had drank sure hit Marley like a ton of bricks.   
"No, I'm serious. Please?"   
"Okay, fine. Maybe. I'll be a good sport about it."   
"Yes." Betty grabbed Marleys arms tightly and dragged her back into a corner beside the stage. Marley intended to cling tightly to Betty the entire rest of the time they were at the warehouse, until Patrick approached her.   
"You have fun, Marley?" She nodded, watching the way his hands moved as he pulled his long hair into a ponytail. He had long fingers, perfect for playing guitar.  
"Definitely a lot louder than the show last night."   
"Oh, you went to that?"   
"Yeah I'm..." something in her told her not to reveal that she was Mike's cousin. "I did." She looked around her and realized Betty had let go of her arm and was now a few yards away, talking with Greta. Patrick smirked and handed Marley a shot glass.  
"You're staying to party?" She nodded and took the glass. "If you're worried you can go pour yourself one."   
"That tells me that I don't need to." She took the shot and Patrick grinned at her.  
"Want another?" She shook her head.   
"Not right now. Maybe later." Music suddenly started blaring from the speakers on the stage, and as Marley looked around she noticed that she, Betty, and the band members were the only people left in the warehouse.  
"Wanna dance?" He asked. Why not?  
"Sure." Two hours later, all the alcohol was gone, and neither Marley and Patrick had had another drink. They were sitting on an elevated walkway, watching everyone else on the ground. Some slow 90s song was playing, and Greta and Henry we pressed together, dancing next to Vic and a very reluctant Betty. Betty had been staring at Greta all night.   
"What are you thinking about?" Patrick asked her. He had been watching Belch, the drummer, slow dancing with his own partner: the last bottle of whiskey.  
"Nothing," Marley mumbled. She felt Patrick brush a piece of her hair behind her ear, and she couldn't help but think of her own drummer, Richie. He didn't like her, she knew that much. So she shouldn't feel guilty for sitting this close to the bass player who she really got along with. Actual compatibility would always be worth more than plain aesthetic attraction, she had to keep reminding herself.  
"Are you sure?" His hand was on her shoulder now, and as she looked up, his face was inches from hers. She nodded. "If you tell me to, I'll back up right now. I think you're really cool, Marley, and if you just wanna be friends and hang out that's cool."  
"Before you do this, I need to tell you something, because something Betty said earlier is making me nervous."   
"Okay."   
"Mike Hanlon is my cousin. And she said you guys really don't like him and his friends. So I wanted you to know that I'm one of his friends." Patrick sat back and sighed. Great, Marlene thought. I just blew any chance I had of ever getting in a relationship in this town.   
"I don't care." Marley blinked, shocked. "But I'm not gonna tell any of those guys that. They definitely won't be happy about that information. That doesn't change anything for me, though." Marley nodded.   
"That's good." Patrick smiled at her.   
"Yeah. I guess so."   
"So about that kiss..." He put his hand gently on the back of Marley's head and pulled her forward, but she lost her balance and fell into his lips. Marley barely stuck her hand out in time keep from falling completely. As she pulled away, both her and Patrick were in hysterics. He casually grabbed her hand, making her fall completely on top of him.   
"Wanna kiss me again?" Patrick asked once their laughter had died down. Marley had her head on his chest, with one of Patrick's hands in hers and the other resting in her hair.   
"Not yet. I want to stay like this for a while."  
"Sounds good to me."


	7. Chapter 7

By her second weekend in Derry, Marley had established a routine. Fridays, she would be front row at the Lovers Club shows, chatting with Eddie and occasionally Ben. Saturday mornings she and Mike would set up shop at the farmers market, and eventually each of the Lovers would stop by to talk for a bit. Saturday nights, she and Betty would walk to the warehouse together, and after the concert she and Patrick would ditch the afterparty to go to the bridge or the park. Sunday morning, she slept late. Her dad liked the family to go to Church on Sundays, but because he hadn't arrived in Derry yet Marley and Shannon took advantage of the days off. Sunday afternoon, she would join Mike again at the farmers market. The Harpers joined the Hanlons for Sunday dinner, and nobody saw that tradition ending soon. Marley had spent her first Monday in Derry unpacking, and that was exactly how she intended to spend her second one as well, until Patrick called.  
"Hey, Honey." The nickname slipped out of his mouth as sweet as honey itself. Every day, Marley found herself falling for him more and more. They had officially become a couple after their first kiss, but neither of them had told anybody but Betty. Around the Bowers Gang, they didn't exactly try to hide it, and most of them had picked up on it, but Marley hadn't dared let slip around her friends any mention of their rivals. She hadn't even told Mike.   
"Hey," Marley giggled, flopping back on her unmade bed.  
"You got any plans today?"   
"Just more unpacking. I was gonna finally start getting my bedroom together."   
"Would you be willing to set that aside?"  
"Sure." Marley rolled onto her stomach and kicked her feet in the air behind her like a lovesick schoolgirl in am 80s movie. "May I ask what for?"  
"I figured maybe we could go on a little date. Take a walk around town and maybe get something to eat."   
"That sounds good."   
"I'll even come help you get your room set up after before I have to go to work. If you want." Patrick worked at the Derry Train Yards, helping load and unload the shipping trains that came into Derry late at night during the week.  
"I do want. Do you want to come pick me up?"   
"Sure." As he spoke, Marley moved around her already messy room in an attempt to find a decent outfit to wear. "Are your parents at home?"   
"My mom is. My dad doesn't get here till tomorrow."   
"Do you want me to meet her?" Marley started pulling on a pair of shorts.   
"Sure. It's not gonna be weird or anything, she's cool." Patrick laughed.   
"Okay. I'll see you later than. I'm headed there now."  
"K. Bye."  
"Bye honey." Marley's stomach fluttered as she hung up the phone. She was braiding her hair when Patrick knocked on the door, which sent her into the living room to open it while desperately fiddling with the scrunchie on her wrist.  
"Hey. Sorry I'm not exactly ready yet." Patrick laughed. He closed the door behind him.   
"Its okay, take your time. I'm not in any hurry."  
"Thanks." Marley smiled gratefully at him. "Do you want me to go get my mom or just see if she naturally wanders out here?"   
"Just let her wander, I guess. Where is she?"   
"In her room. Okay, I'm gonna go finish this," Marley gestured to her hair, "But I'll leave the bathroom door open." Sure enough, as Marley was deciding if she should change her makeup, she heard her mom's bedroom door open.   
"Did someone knock on the door?" Marley jumped as she stuck her head into the bathroom.   
"Yeah. It was Patrick." Shannon smiled knowingly.   
"Are you going out?"   
"Yeah. He's in the living room." Shannon took the bait and left the bathroom, giving Marley the space to finish getting ready. When she joined her mom and boyfriend in the living room, they seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.  
"I'm all ready," she said. They both turned to look at her.  
"You ready?" Patrick repeated, getting up with a nod to Shannon and crossing the living room to stand with Marley. She nodded.   
"You sure you got everything?"   
"Yeah."   
"Okay. Have fun." Shannon returned to her room and Marley and Patrick left.   
"So where are we going?" Patrick shrugged, taking Marley's hand in his as they started down the sidewalk.   
"Just into town. I figured you might not have seen everything yet." It was true, Marley hadn't really seen much of Derry yet. Not that there was much to see. There was a cute main street, lined with mom and pop stores in a way that many places in New York had tried and failed to replicate. One of the shops in particular caught Marleys eye. As they passed the bakery, painted light blue with a striped awning over the door, Marley pulled Patrick eagerly to look in the window. "Want to go in?"   
"Yeah!" The bakery seemed to be a combination of a bakery, cafe, and coffee shop. Marley looked into the display cases of cupcakes and doughnuts and other sweets, her face resembling a kid in a candy store.   
"Do you want to get something?" Patrick had never seen his girlfriend this happy. Marley hadn't heard his question. Instead, she was distracted by the Now Hiring poster sitting next to the cash register.  
"Do you mind? If I get an application and fill it out?" Pattick shook his head.   
"Of course not. I didn't know you were looking for a job."  
"I wasn't really. But I would need one eventually. And I like to bake, so this is perfect."   
"Huh. Guess so." A girl a little older than Marley came out of the back and noticed them standing at the counter. She and Patrick were the only two in the store.   
"Sorry. How can I help you?"   
"Can I get an application?" Marley pointed at the sign. The girl sighed with relief.   
"Absolutely." She reached under the counter and handed Marley two pieces of paper. "Want a pen?" Marley nodded.  
"Are you gonna get anything?" She asked Patrick.  
"Uh, yeah. I gotta think about it for a second, go sit down." Marley found a table by the window and began filling out the application. Patrick joined her with a coffee, and watched with a smile as she went through the questions. She took the papers to the counter when she finished and returned to her seat.   
"You ready to go?"  
"Oh, finish your coffee first. I want to make sure she gets that anyways." Marley checked her phone while they waited, and saw a new text from Richie. "Weird," she mumbled.   
"What?"   
"Nothing." She opened it.   
R:We have rehearsal today Want to to come hang  
M: Can't. Busy.  
When Marley looked up from her phone, the girl from earlier was standing by their table.   
"I can't technically hire you because I'm not the owner, but my mom will definitely be calling you within the next day." She sat a plate in front of Marley. "Consider that a welcome gift though, because you're basically in."  
"Really?" The girl nodded. "Oh, wow that's awesome. Thank you."  
"Of course. Thank you, actually, because we're terribly understaffed. I'm Taylor, by the way."   
"Marley." When Taylor walked away, Marley looked back to Patrick to find him with a piece of the brownie Taylor had left already in his mouth. "You nerd, that's mine!" He laughed as she playfully snatched the plate away from him.


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday was a blur, and compared to the peaceful, almost dreamlike atmosphere of Monday, it felt almost electric. Marley had gone to bed late, because Patrick had called after he left work. She tried to convince him to come over and spend the night, but her begging hadn't work. They stayed on the phone for hours instead, which didn't stop Shannon from coming into her room at 5:30 in the morning to wake her up.  
"Why?" Marley mumbled, rolling over to face her mother.   
"Dont you want to go with me to get your dad from the airport?" She sighed.  
"Yeah, sure."  
"We need to leave at 6." Shannon turned the light on as she left, effectively preventing Marley from going back to sleep. She got dressed slowly, excited to finally get to wear the sweatshirt Patrick had given her. He had said it was too small for him, which might have been true, but it nearly cleared the top of Marleys knees. Marley was in the kitchen and ready to go by 5:50, with a water bottle full of apple juice already in her hand.   
"Can we get McDonalds on the way home?" Marley asked as they got into the car, 5 minutes early. "I'm starving."  
"That's disgusting," Shannon said.   
"They have good breakfast."   
"We could go to IHOP."   
"That's worse. Besides, do you think Dad really wants to go sit down somewhere? He's been up all night." Shannon shrugged, in a 'you've got a point' way.   
"We could go through town and get something at the bakery." Marley rolled her eyes.   
"You're way to in love with that place," she joked. She had casually told her mom about applying for the job when she came home yesterday, and Shannon was already acting like she was indebted to the bakery.  
"I'm just happy for you." Marley shook her head.   
"I'm going back to sleep." She was woken up again at 7, and she wiped her eyes as they walked through the airport to find her dad. Robert Harper was nothing like his wife and daughter. He was a middle aged high school teacher, the very definition of a nerd. He had always been straight laced, and Marley found it remarkable that he has ever had any interest in her mother. Because Shannon was a wildcard. She had been the financial manager for a small theater in New York, a surprisingly prosperous job, and was looking for something less structured but equally as profitable in Derry. She hated not working, because she loved being around people. She was a very fun loving person, and Robert came out of his shell around her. Marley loved her parents, she loved watching them interact with each other. She hoped she could find a relationship like theres one there. As she ran to meet her dad, she wondered if she had found it in Patrick.   
"I missed you," Robert mumbled into Marleys messy hair, holding her tight.  
"You've missed a lot," Shannon added, smirking ar her daughter. She glared at her mom.  
"Oh?" Shannon cut him off with a kiss, not allowing him to ask more questions.   
"Let's go home." Marley sat in the backseat on the trip home, with her legs propped on the center console. She had been catching her dad up on all he had missed.   
"Wow, Leah," Marley smiled at the nickname only her dad and a few adults at home ever called her. "A job and a boyfriend? I thought I'd stayed home for a week, not months." She rolled her eyes. "Well, I think I'll cook dinner tonight than. We'll have a family meal again. Honey, invite your aunt and uncle too, okay?" Shannon nodded.  
"Oh, actually, dad, I was hoping maybe you could meet Patrick tonight?"   
"He can come too. You two can even do the grocery shopping this afternoon."   
"Wait, Dad, I don't really think that's the best idea-"  
"Well, I'm starving. What are our options for breakfast?" Marley leaned back in her seat, defeated at the prospect of finally having to admit her relationship to Mike.   
"Mcdonalds?" She mumbled.   
"McDonalds sounds great, kiddo. Shannon, that work for you?" Shannon glared at Marley in the rearview mirror. When they arrived home, Robert went straight to bed.   
"Call your cousin and Patrick about dinner. I'm gonna find something for dad to make and you and Patrick can go get the ingredients later this afternoon."   
"Mom, I don't think we should just shove Patrick into a big family dinner. It's kinda weird."   
"If he has a problem with it, that's fine, but your dad asked and you should do that for him."   
"Fine. Pull the dad card. Than do you mind if the band comes over and helps me get my room together before?" She had asked Patrick to take a raincheck yesterday, she wanted to talk to her mom about applying for the job. He had easily agreed. Shannon shook her head.  
"Which band though?"   
"Mike's."  
"Nope. That's fine. Now go make those phone calls please." Marley took off up the stairs to her room and settled herself in the middle of her floor. It was only 9 o'clock in the morning now, so she started with Mike, knowing if Pateick wasn't awake he sure would be.   
"Hey Marley," he answered quickly.   
"Hey Mike. What's up?"   
"I've been cleaning up the barn this morning, actually. We might be getting real floors in here which will be nice."   
"Oooh. That's awesome. Hey, Dad just got in and he's cooking dinner tonight and he wants you and Gramma and Grandpa to come."   
"Oh, cool. Yeah, I'll tell Gramma. What time?"  
"I don't know, hold on." Marley sat her phone on the carpet and walked out to the stairs. "Mom!" Her mom appeared on the bottom step.  
"What!"  
"What time is dinner?"  
"Well probably start cooking around 6." She went back to her room.  
"6:15 ish? Probably a little after."  
"Great. I'll tell Gramma 6:30 because shell want to be there at 6." Marley laughed.   
"Sounds like her. Okay, I'll see you tonight."  
"Okay, see you-"   
"Oh, actually, wait. Do you and the band want to come help me decorate my room? Like, now?"  
"Oh, yeah. That will be fun. We should all hang out. Want me to call everyone else?"  
"I'll call Richie and Bev. I would say Eddie and Ben too but my room's just a little too small for 8 people. Can you call Bill and Stan though?"   
"For sure. I think Ben's working today anyways so he won't be upset about missing out. I'll head over once I call them."   
"Thanks. See ya."   
"Bye." By 10, Marley's bedroom was full of teenage laughter. She was trying to give everyone talks, so that work would actually get done, but everyone was talking over each other. Shannon had already come upstairs to close her door, a silent warning to stop making so much noise at risk of waking Robert.   
"Okay, guys, listen," Marley yelled. She was standing on her bed, hoping the height would get everyones attention. It didn't work. Richie was the only one who was listening. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, playing with her teddy bear she had had since she was a baby.   
"Want me to try?" He asked. "Please," she mouthed back. He stood up, gripping onto her shoulder to keep his balance. "Hey, assholes!" Everyone looked up.  
"Ooh, I bet teachers really like you." He rolled his eyes and plopped back down on the bed. "Okay, we need to divide and conquer. Stan, can you fold my clothes and put them up if I show you how I organize them?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
"Great. Bill and Mike, can you guys start putting those shelves together?" Mike had already been going through one of the boxes, counting the pieces inside.  
"Yeah," Bill answered for both of them.   
"Um, Bev we can start putting pictures and stuff up on the walls. And Richie, can you... make my bed I guess?" He shrugged.  
"Guess so. I'm already here." Marley playfully kicked him in the side.  
"K, let's get going." She jumped off the bed and went first to Stan, who was standing in her closet next to an open suitcase. Marley showed him her odd organizational system, and left him with the confidence that her clothes would be put up how she wanted them. She and Bev started going through boxes stacked with different papers, trying to decide what deserved the precious wall space in the room. Marley and Shannon had painted the walls last week, to Marley's favorite color of yellow. It made the room feel bigger and brighter, and it made Marley happy.   
"Hey, now what?" Marley turned and saw Richie sitting on the edge of her newly made bed.  
"Oh, um, can you maybe help us with hanging some of this? You're tall so you can reach higher."   
"Sure." The afternoon went quickly, with only 1 break taken at 12:30 because Shannon ordered them Pizza. By 4, the room was completely clean and organized, and it had been unofficially declared the new Lovers Club hangout.  
"Do you guys want to take some pictures?" Marley asked, fiddling with the wrist strap on her polaroid camera. She had left plenty of space on a whiteboard by her window to hang photos of her new friends.  
"Can't. I have to work at 6, so I should probably go home."   
"Yeah, I have to go watch Georgie," Bill agreed. Marley had yet to meet Georgies little brother, but she was looking forward to it.   
"I can stay for a little," Bev said.   
"I'm not busy," Richie said.  
"K, here." She tossed her camera to Bev. "I'll walk you guys out," she told the boys. On the way back upstairs, she got a text from Patrick. She had called him that morning after talking to Mike. 'I'll be there at 5'. She ran back up the stairs, wanting to get her friends out of her house before Patrick go there so that she would only have to make 1 uncomfortable confession tonight. When she made it back upstairs, Richie was playing with the remote that changed the colors of the lights he had helped hang from the ceiling. "Okay, I have to go get groceries at 5, so let's get going." They practically tore up the room all over again to have a mini photo shoot, an Bev conveniently had to leave before they started to clean up.   
"Hey, Marley, its 5. Why don't you walk Richie out and go ahead and get the groceries and I'll finish cleaning up." That was the perfect plan, because that meant she could get Richie out and keep Mike contained before Patrick arrived. Marley waved Richie out into the hallway.   
"I had a really good time hanging out with you today," she told him as the descended the stairs.   
"Yeah. You're pretty fun to be around as nerdy as you are."   
"Hey." Richie laughed.  
"What about you come to the barn tomorrow before our practice and let me show you how to play drums. I bet you'd like it."  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah. If you want."   
"Yeah, I'd like that." Marley pulled open the front door, intending on stepping outside with Richie, until she saw Richies face fall.   
"What the hell are you doing here?" Patrick was standing on the steps, hand raised, prepared to knock. How could she have had worse timing.   
"Hey, Honey, you didn't tell me you had company."   
"Honey? What the fuck?"   
"What the fuck do you mean what the fuck, Trashmouth?"   
"Okay, hold on," Marley said. She heard the bedroom door open and saw her moms head head peaking out. "Richie, this is my boyfriend, Patrick. Patrick, Richie. But I see you've met."   
"Yeah. We've met."  
"Okay, well, Richie, Patrick and I need to go pick up the groceries. So I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She smiled encouragingly at him, but her face fell as he pushed past Patrick and out onto the sidewalk. "Okay, ready to go?" She said cheerily, as if nothing had happened.   
"Sure." Patrick leaned inside and waved to Shannon as Marley pulled the door shut.  
"Should I even ask what that was about?" Marley asked as she slid into the front seat of Patrick's car.   
"He just sucks," Patrick mumbled.  
"No he doesn't. He's awesome."  
"Why was he even in your house?" Marlene made a face at Patrick's tone.  
"You know, it really isn't your business."   
"I guess not."   
"I wish you'd tell me why you don't like him." Patrick sighed. He put one of his hands on Marley's knee, but his eyes never left the road as he drove.   
"Henry used to get after him alot when we were kids, actually he'd get after all of them pretty bad. And being his best friend, you know, I was a part of it. We were always the worst to Richie, though, because he taught back. And he never grew out of that. And I'd be willing to move past it and everything but he won't." Marley leaned he head on Patricks shoulder, looking up at his face. She kissed his jaw sweetly.  
"Well, you can just go ahead and be nice to him anyways, because he's my friend. And I will always pick my friends over boys." Patrick laughed, leaning down to give Marley a kiss.   
"Noted."


	9. Chapter 9

Mike glared at Patrick from across the table. He obviously hadn't been thrilled about the whole boyfriend thing, but he was at least being more civil than Richie had been. Marley kicked him under the table occasionally if he began to make a rude comment, doing her best to moderate the situation. At least Patrick and Dad were getting along. He approved of Patricks job at the train yard, and he didn't mind the band thing. Secretly, he had always had a fear of his daughter dating somebody who was in a band, but this definitely was the best way that scenario could've turned out.  
"Does anyone want to make dessert?" Shannon asked as dinner began to wind down. "I think Marley bought some cookie dough."   
"I think I'm all filled up," Grandpa said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.  
"I'll do the dishes," Marley offered, desperately wanting to escape the awkward tension between Mike and Patrick.   
"I'll help," Patrick offered.  
"No you won't," Robert commanded. "You're a guest, Patrick. And besides, I'd like to get to know you more. Mike can do it." Marley glanced up at Mike. He rolled his eyes.   
"Anything good on tv, Robert?"   
"I don't think we have cable set up yet. I'm sure Shannon can find us something on Netflix though." Shannon was the true techie in the house. She needed subscriptions to all the newest streaming services and also knew how to fix them if anything went wrong.  
"Oh, I absolutely can. I flipped past this super interesting documentary the other day..." Marley tuned her mother out as she got up from the table and took her plate to the sink. Mike joined her.  
"You wash, I dry?" She nodded. Mike returned to the table to collect everyone elses plates as the rest of the family and Patrick moved into the sparsely furnished living room. He didn't speak again until the tv was on, and the conversation in the living room would drown out his words. "Seriously, Marley?"   
"What, Mike?" She snapped back, unintentionally splashing water at him.   
"You know what. Why him? Why not any other boy in Derry?"   
"Because he likes me." It was an answer that held more information than appeared on the surface.  
"He's an asshole. And I'd say it to his face if you'd let me. I don't want my cousin dating the guy who tormented me and my friends for years. Don't you know about that?" He looked at Marley almost hopefully, taking the plate she handed him to dry as he did so.   
"Yes. He told me in the car. But he's different, Mike. It was mostly Henry doing all that stuff anyways. He just tagged along because Henry's his friend."   
"See, that's the problem. How much can he have changed if he still has the same friends?"   
"Mike, quit it, okay? Just stop."   
"Admit that you don't care."   
"Don't care about what !?" Marley turned to face Mike straight on, throwing the dish rag on the floor with a wet smack.   
"That he sucks! That he's a bad person! He made fun of me for years. For being black, for being homeschooled, for being an orphan. Unforgivable shit."   
"I don't believe Patrick said any of that."  
"I don't even know how to respond to that. Do you think I'm lying?" Marley picked the rag up off the floor and drop it back into the sink.   
"Did Patrick do it, or did Henry?" She crossed her arms as she waited for an answer.   
"It doesn't matter."  
"Oh yes, it does matter."   
"You are who your friends are. If he hung out with him, it's as good as him being the one to do it."  
"That's not how it works."   
"Maybe not for you."   
"Whatever. You finish the dishes. I'm going to bed." Marley stalked into the living room. "I'm going to bed." Robert sat up.   
"Its only 8:30 kiddo."   
"We have guests, Marley." Patrick stood up.   
"Actually, I'm gonna have to head out too. Gotta get to work."   
"That's a shame, Patrick. I'd love for you to stay." Patrick nodded, stopping in front of the couch to shake Robert's hand.   
"Wish I could."   
"Well, you come by any time," he called, as Marley walked the boy to the door. She avoided looking at the kitchen.  
"You okay?" Patrick asked as they stepped outside.   
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"You sure? Your face is red." She nodded, but turned her eyes down. She felt like she was going to cry, and she didn't want to admit to Patrick all that Mike had said.   
"Yeah. Just been a long day."   
"Okay." He put his arms around her in a tight hug. She breathed in deeply, trying to keep from crying until he left and she was back in her room. "I'll talk to you tommorow." She nodded as he pulled away.  
"Bye." He waved as he got into his car.   
"Bye honey." Marley noticed all the dry dishes stacked on the counter as she returned inside. The tears stayed put until she shut her bedroom door.

Marley rolled over again and checked the time on her phone. It was finally 6 am, and she hadn't been asleep. She hadn't heard the Hanlons leave last night, her sobbing had muffled the sound of the front door opening and shutting, and their old truck leaving the driveway. But she has heard Shannon come up the stairs to check on her. She bit down on her finger to muffle her crying, knowing if her mom heard her she would come in to talk. The door hadn't even opened, and she listened until her mom was back in her own bedroom. She had checked the time when she finally stopped crying. It was 1 am by then, and the fact that she had been crying over a boy all night started the tears all over again. Now, she decided she wasn't getting any sleep anytime soon. She got up and out on her actual pajamas anyways, hoping the Familiar fabric and print would comfort her some. It worked a little, and the mundane action of changing clothes helped clear her head enough to start making decisions. She couldn't be alone with her thoughts anymore, that would just start the whole cycle over for a third time. She couldnt call Mike, even though she knew he would be awake. She didn't want to see Patrick right now, either. She wasn't allowed to go to Beverly's house, and Betty had spent the night with Greta, so they weren't options either. She wasn't close enough to Bill or Stan, Eddie's mother didn't like her, and Ben would already be on the way to work. There was no way she was bringing anyone else in the Bowers gang into this, which left her with only one option. She picked up her phone off of her nightstand and texted Richie.   
M: Can we hang out a little early today   
To her surprise, he texted back immediately.   
R: Sure. What time?  
M: Since you're up, how about now?  
R: Sure. I'll send you my address.  
Luckily for Marley, Richie lived nearby. 

She slipped on a pair of dirty pink sneakers and snuck downstairs to leave a note for Mom and Dad on the counter. She didn't want to text either of them, they both kept their phones on nearly the highest volume at all times, and she didn't want to wake either of them up and have to answer questions.   
"Its better to ask for forgiveness than permission," she mumbled as she quietly shut the front door, although in her experience that definitely wasn't the case. She felt ridiculous, walking down the street in her pajamas at 6:15 in the morning, but she was fortunate enough that no cars passed her on the way to Richies. She didn't have to worry about waking anyone by knocking on the door, because Richie was waiting for her as she approached the driveway. She knew he had probably been watching for her from a front window, but it reminded her too much of the damning timing of walking Richie out yesterday afternoon, and she felt more tears well up in her eyes. She didn't even bother wiping them away. Fuck it, what did she have to lose by showing up crying at Richie Toziers doorstep in her pajamas at 7 am on a Wednesday morning. Nothing.  
"Are you okay?" He asked her instantly, noticing her red face. To be honest, he noticed everything about her. As much as he hated to admit it, his gradual acceptance of Marley into their tight knit group of losers turned lovers had just as gradually become a near Earth shattering crush on her. She shrugged.   
"I just kinda needed to be around someone else."   
"Sure." He ushered her inside. "You want to watch tv or something? It might be a little too early for drums." Marley smiled.  
"Sure." Richie led Marley to his bedroom, where he flopped down on the bed and tossed her the remote.   
"Pick something," he said, nodding to the tv.  
"I don't care," she said, tossing the remote back.  
"Fine." He waved Marley over to join him on the bed. She awkwardly sat next to him. "Well watch Friends." She smiled, knowing he had taken the context clues from her tie dye Friends pajama pants and Joey Tribbiani sweatshirt. "What season are you on?"   
"Um, 4." Richie adjusted his pillow and pick an episode. "Why are you even awake already?" Marley asked, noticing the tears silently streaming down her own face. It was ridiculous, really.   
"I really didn't go to sleep last night."  
"Oh. Me neither." He looked over at Marley, casually stretching out his arm so it was over the headboard behind her.   
"Is that why you can't stop crying?" She almost giggled.   
"No. It's stupid, honestly. You wouldn't care."   
"Yeah I would. Do you really think I don't care about you?" It came out a little too sincere. Marley stared straight at the tv, even though she wasn't paying attention to it.  
"I didn't say that," she countered, even though it was true. "I just don't think you care about my stupid girl problems."   
"Depends on what the problem is. But even if I don't care, I'll listen." Marley wiped her face and turned to look at Richie. She realized for the first time that he didn't have his glasses on.   
"You don't want to hear it."  
"I do."   
"Its about Patrick."  
"If he hurt you I'll kill him."  
"You just want an excuse." Richie laughed.   
"Maybe. But you're my friend, Harper, so I'll defend you." She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious."   
"Fine." Marlene sat back and told Richie everything. Sometime during the story, she actually managed to stop crying. She thought it correlated with Richie scooting closer and pulling her into a tight hug.   
"Would you like my advice?"  
"If it's good."  
"Okay, ignoring that disgustingly rude remark, I'd talk to Patrick. Explain to him that you were upset last night, explain why, and maybe he'll apologize to Mike." Marley sniffed.   
"That's a good idea." Richie scooted away, unwrapping Marley.   
"If you want to go call him and talk to him now, you should." Internally, he was kicking himself. He couldn't handle being the friendzoned dork who always gave the best boyfriend advice.   
"No," she answered, much to his surprise. "No more boy problems today. You gotta teach me to play the drums, remember?"

After 20 minutes of arguing about which song to learn, and finally settling on a Lovers Club original, Richie and Marley began the first lesson- how to hold the drumsticks.  
"You can't hold them like a pencil," Richie kept saying. "You've gotta hold them loose, because you have to be able to move them." And Marley was trying, hard, but she just couldn't get it. "Okay," Richie said, after 15 minutes of frustration that was getting them no where. "Scoot up." He nudged the edge of the stool Marley was on with his knee, and she did as he said. He squatted behind her, only halfway sitting on the small stool, and wrapped his arms around her to grip her wrists.  
"Wait, you are so not Ghost-ing me right now," she said with a laugh, turning over her shoulder to face him.  
"Well that's the only way this is gonna work, so yes I am."  
"I don't even believe you've ever seen that movie," she countered, surprised he got her reference.   
"I haven't. But everyone knows that scene. Have you? Wait, of course you have." Marley shook her head.   
"Nope. I was almost in it, though."   
"You weren't even alive when that movie came out."  
"Not the movie. The musical."   
"That's not a thing."   
"Oh," Marley said with a scoff, "yes it is."   
"It is not!" Richie shouted back with disbelief. "You totally just made that up right now."  
"I didn't."   
"You did."  
"I didn't, I have a video of me practicing for my audition, do you want to see it?"   
"Yeah, I do." Marley reached awkwardly into her back pocket to find her phone.   
"Here." As Marley tapped to start the video, a text popped up.   
"Patrick just texted you," Richie said, completely monotone.  
"Okay. I'll answer him later. Watch this." He was surprised by her casual dismissal of the subject, but why should he be? His surprise was quickly overtaken by becoming totally enraptured with the video. He had never really heard Marley sing before, and he realized just how hard he had fallen as he watched the video.  
"What song was that?" He nearly whispered as she took her phone back.   
"Only Hope from A Walk to Remember."   
"From what?" She rolled her eyes.  
"Okay, I believe you haven't seen that. It's some sappy tear jerker romance movie. I adore it."   
"And it's a musical?"  
"No. But they do a musical in it."   
"Too many layers," Richie joked, turning back to the drums. "Okay, so loosen your hands." He took Marley's wrists in his hands, and she relaxed into him. It was almost natural how they worked together, and she was amazed she was becoming so comfortable with him so quickly.


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of Marley's first month in Derry passed without incident. She started working at the bakery, and it was better than she could have dreamed. She got to decorate cakes and cupcakes although, and occasionally work the cash register, and she made great friends doing it. Taylor, the girl she given her application to, was the daughter of the owner. She worked there with her sister, Maya. They were both a little older than Marley, but they quickly took her in as part of the family. On July first, she was sitting in the front window, frosting a cake, when The Lovers Club walked by, putting up posters for their Fourth of July show. Ben plastered one to the window, directly over her face. She rolled her eyes and stood up to meat them at the front counter, knowing they would come in to harass her. They hadn't been by yet, so it was only a matter of time. Richie was the first inside, opening the door dramatically and loudly. He was lucky there were no other customers inside.   
"Hello, Harper," He sing-songed, readying his camera. Marley attempted to pose as best she could with her piping bag still in hand. "Nope, you look too god," Richie remarked, as the rest of the group streamed in behind him. "You saw it coming."  
"I'm pretty sure the whole town saw it coming. You aren't exactly inconspicuous."  
"Yeah, beep beep Richie," Bev said. "Hey Marley, can I get a cupcake?"   
"Sure. Which one?" Marley returned to the cake she was frosting to but down her piping bag and wipe her hands.   
"Um, that one," Bev pointed to a chocolate cupcake piled high with chocolate icing. "Did you frost it?" She asked as Marley took it from the display case and rang it up.   
"No. I don't do cupcakes. Taylor did it, and she's like the best baker ever though." Bev nodded as she paid and took the cupcake from Marley. "Can I get you guys anything else?" She asked the group.  
"I'm gonna get a doughnut," said Mike. Everyone else just shook their heads or shrugged. Marley rang up Mike's doughnut.   
"Okay, we have to get moving," Ben called to the group. "We have a lot of posters to hang up for this weekend's show." Everyone started filling out, waving and calling out their goodbyes, but Richie approached the counter.   
"You and Patrick still doing good?" He asked. Marley nodded.   
"Yeah. For the most part. We've mostly been hanging out at his shows. He's been teaching me to play bass."  
"Oh, really? Are you better at it than drums?" Marley playfully swatted at his shoulder.   
"Yes, actually, I am. But can I ask your advice on something else?"  
"Yeah, sure." Marley sighed.   
"I don't think he even knows anything about me."  
"Of course he does, hes your boyfriend." Inside, Richie was thrilled. Of course Patrick was a bad boyfriend. But outside, he had to reassure his friend. "I mean-" he was cut off by the door opening and Patrick walking in. "Speak of the devil," Richie mumbled. He scooted to the side, giving Patrick room to lean over the counter and give Marley a kiss.  
"Hey." Patrick said.  
"Hey."   
"We still good for lunch?" He didn't even seem to notice Richie standing there.   
"Yeah. I'll get a break at like 1, so can we do it late?"  
"Sure. How's your day been so far?" As she was about to answer, the door to the kitchen opened and Taylor peeked out. She and Marley made faces at each other.  
"Okay, I have to finish this cake." She nodded to the table by the window. "So get out. Both of you." Richie stood up straight, fidgeting with his shirt.   
"Bye, honey." Patrick gave Marley another kiss.   
"Bye. Now get out." She returned to her cake, and Richie and Patrick left together.   
"Hey, Patrick. Can I ask you a question?"  
"Sure. Shoot."


	11. Chapter 11

"What's Marley's favorite tv show?"  
"Ghost adventures. Why?" Richie let the door slam behind him.   
"Because you're wrong, that's why." Patrick sat down on the bench by the door.  
"No I'm not. We watch it all the time."  
"Because she hates it. It's how she gets her stress out. She yells at the tv." Patrick thought about it.  
"Huh. Guess so."  
"What's her favorite color?"   
"What?"   
"What's her favorite color? Come on, man. Don't tell me you don't know your own girlfriends favorite color."   
"Its blue."  
"Its yellow. She only likes blue because that's what color your eyes are."   
"Why are you trying to make me seem like a bad boyfriend?" Richie had his hands in his pockets, standing casually, but Patrick stood up.   
"You could be the best man in the world, Patrick, but you aren't any good for her."  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, trashmouth?"  
"It means exactly what I said. What's her last name, Patrick?"   
"Hanlon." Richie threw his arms in the air, enraged.  
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ITS HARPER! THATS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I EVER LEARNED ABOUT HER, MAN! MARLENE NORA HARPER!" Patrick took a few steps back, reacting involuntarily to Richies anger. "What song does she want played at her wedding?" That was easy.   
"Story of a Girl. It's her favorite." Richie shook his head, all his energy gone, all his will to care. He wanted to save her from this boy, who didn't seem to care enough about her to even learn her favorite things.   
"A Drop in the Ocean." He turned to go, but stopped to say over his shoulder, "Its Friends. Which I know because she showed up at my house crying in her pajamas one morning, and they have Joey's face all over them." He started to leave again when Patrick snapped. The thought of his girlfriend being upset and turning to this loser instead of him was the last straw. He grabbed Richies shoulder and spun him around to land the perfect punch in his face.

When Marlene noticed, it was too late, and by the time she was outside, Richie was crumbled on the sidewalk with a bloody nose, Patrick sitting on top of him with his guitar player fingers wrapped dangerously tight around his throat.   
"PATRICK!" It was enough to snap him out of it, and he sat up.   
"Marlene. Shit. I'm sorry, honey."  
"What did you do?" She directed it towards Richie, because as much as she loved her friend she knew he was a troublemaker.   
"No. I threw the first punch." Patrick admitted it quietly, knowing lying wouldn't help anything. Marley rushed towards Richie, gently placing her hands on the side of his face to see his injured nose better. Unfortunately, it wasn't the only affect of the fight. Richie blinked, trying to focus his eyes and quickly realizing he didn't know where his glasses were.  
"Are you kidding me?" She asked as Richie struggled to stand up. Marley stood and allowed him to lean on her.  
"Go clean him up. I'll be fine." She didn't care if he wasn't.   
"My friends will always come first," she answered simply. Patrick even held the door as Marley dragged Richie into the bakery and towards the bathroom. He sat back down on the bench. Inside, Marley directed Richie to sit on the counter of the employee bathroom while she opened the cabinet under the sink to look for first aid supplies. When she looked back up to take stock of Richies quickly bruising face, his bloodied nose was the focal point. "Fuck it." She set the plastic container of medical supplies back down and pulled off a wad of toilet paper. "Wipe your nose," she directed as she handed it to Richie. He winced as he cleaned away what blood he could. It had stopped gushing by now. He jokingly extended the bloody ball of paper in Marley's direction.  
"Here," he said weakly.   
"Are you kidding me? The Trashcan is right there." Richie smirked as he dropped the ball into the bag. "Has it stopped bleeding?" He nodded. Marley wet a paper towel in the sink and began gently wiping at the blood dried to his face. "Should I even ask what that was about?" She said after a few seconds. She said it so quietly, Richie wondered if he was supposed to hear her.  
"He's no good for you." Marley scoffed. Her hand jerked upwards into Richies nose, and he groaned.   
"Sorry. I'm probably gonna break up with him anyways."   
"What for?"  
"If he has the nerve to fist fight one of my best friends in the middle of the street in front of my job, he obviously doesn't care about me enough. I know where my loyalties lie. Somebody like that isn't it." Marley threw the paper towel into the trash and bent down to find bandaid in the first aid box.   
"I love you." She didn't reply immediately , instead focusing on opening a bandaid. She plastered it over a scratch on Richie's chin.  
"You might have a concussion."

Patrick swung his legs back and forth, staring down at the rushing water under the kissing bridge. Marlene sat next to him, close enough for their hands to touch, but not letting them. They hadn't talked much in the two days since the fight, and Patrick was surprised Marley had even called at all. He cleared his throat.   
"Mike said you might break up with me soon." He had to bring up the elephant on the room. He had been talking to Marley's cousin more in the past few days, and was actually starting to really like him. He knew he shouldn't be getting used to the companionship. Marley turned her head to her left to take Patrick in. She guessed she had loved him.   
"No. I'm breaking up with you now." Patrick nodded. He had prepared himself, so the blow wasn't awful.   
"Okay. I know it's my fault, honey, and I'm sorry. But I'm not gonna cause problems about it."   
"Thank you." Marley began to stand up.   
"But wait. Can I ask you one question, before you leave?" She stood up anyways.   
"Sure."  
"Are you leaving me for him?"   
"Huh?"   
"Are you going to start going out with that Tozier kid now?"   
"No?" He's my friend, Patrick, not a rebound." Patrick stood up too.   
"Can I walk you home?"   
"No. I'll be fine alone. I want to be alone." She stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek, than left him standing alone on the kissing bridge. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to keep from crying.


	12. Chapter 12

Saturday, Marley stood in her bathroom, fixing her hair for the concert. She had been in the park with her parents all day, enjoying the towns Fourth of July festivities, but had walked back home at sunset to start getting ready. Bev was on the phone, complaining about her trouble doing her own makeup for her pirate costume.   
"You should have let me do it," Marley commented as she pulled her hair back. She had tried to convince Bev to come to her house to get ready, but she had refused.   
"You're right, I should have. But whatever, it'll be fine." Marley shrugged in response, even though Bev couldn't see her. "Okay, I'm leaving. Wanna walk together?"   
"Sure. See you soon."  
"Bye." Marley dropped her phone in the back pocket of her shorts and looked herself over in the mirror. She prayed Richie would recognize her costume and get the joke. She was dressed as Molly, Demi Moore's character from Ghost, in hope's that Richie would remember their first and only drumming lesson. She and Bev walked quietly down Main Street together, turning down Palmer Lane to get to Witcham Street sooner rather than later. There, they encountered Bill Denborough backing down his driveway in his dad's old car, also headed towards the show.   
"You guys want a ride?" He called out the front window. Both girls quickly hopped in the back.   
"I'm actually offended you didn't call and offer to pick us up," Bev said. Marley waved to Bill's little brother Georgie, who was waving eagerly at them from the dining room window. Bev noticed and leaned over to blow him a kiss.   
"So what are you?" Marley asked Bill, leaning over his seat.   
"I'm Bill from the second Mamma Mia," he answered, like it should have been obvious.   
"Right," Marley responded, sitting back with a sigh and a shake of her head. She and Bev exchanged a look. Marley headed straight to the barn when they arrived at Mike's, hoping to avoid any temptation to loiter she might encounter inside the house. Apparently, she was the only one who had had this idea, because as she stepped into the barn, it was empty. Except for Richie, sitting at his drums with a paper crown on his head.  
"You did it." He looked up, startled. He chuckled.   
"Yeah, I did." He fought the urge to tell her he would do anything for her. Marley had spent two days trying to convince Richie to do the concert dressed as Peter from Hereditary, due to the bandages on his injured nose. He was still looking pretty beat up from the fight, but she could tell he wasn't feeling it as bad as he had been. "So what about you, Molly?" She gasped, surprised.  
"You said you'd never seen it!"   
"I looked it up after you left that day. Watched the musical. You would've been good in it."  
"Thanks." Marley leaned against the stage and Richie motioned for her to join him. She ended up sitting cross-legged in front of his stool, looking up at him.   
"You just wanna sit and watch me practice?" Richie asked, incredulous. Marley nodded. "Shit, Harper," he mumbled, so she almost couldn't hear. Marley hummed along occasionally as he played, but mostly she watched him. The focus on his face, the ease with which he played. "Stan got us in at Jade of the Orient for dinner after the show," Richie commented offhandedly as he finished Say it Ain't So.   
"Nice." Richie was about to say something else when the barn doors began sliding up. He helped Marley up as Ben and Mike entered. Mike was dressed as Steve from Wonder Woman.   
"Who are you, Ben?" She called to the boys as they approached.   
"Mr. Keating, from Dead Poets Society." Of course he was. "Do you wanna help me with the door tonight?" He asked her. "Discount tickets if you wear a costume, so I could use two seperate lines."  
"Sure. I'll take the discount, I want to see all the costumes." Marley and the boys milled around in the barn, picking up missed trash leftover from last weeks show and waiting for the others to arrive. Eddie and Stan showed up last, Eddie's mother had insisted on driving them. They had dressed up together, as Jay and Nick from The Great Gatsby. "Nick fits you," Marley told Eddie as she passed him on the way to her post at the door. She had never seen the barn so full by 8 pm, and the show started just on time. She and Ben managed to work their way to the front by the time the opening song was over, and they took their normal spots on either side of Eddie.  
"Were changing things up some tonight," Bev said into the mock as the applause died down. "Richie is going to sing his one allotted solo early." Everyone laughed. It was an inside joke in the band that Richie had wanted to be the lead singer before Bev joined, and Marley believed it was firmly rooted in truth. Richie found Marley in the ground and winked as he started his song.   
"I'm colour coding my moods You're yellow, I'm natural blue Let's get together and be green like my insides At least I'll match your eyes Jealous and hypnotized Let's match our faces and be equally in love"  
Marley had never heard the sing before, she guessed either he or Bill had just written it, but it was obvious who it was about. And as Richie started on the first Chorus, eyes trained on hers, she felt her stomach flutter in the same way it once had for Patrick. She didn't even try to suppress the feelings.

Richie helped Marley out of the back of Mike's truck.   
"Hey Harper, do you wanna go take a walk before the Fireworks start?"   
"Sure." To be honest, she didn't even care if she missed the whole thing. Not if she was with Richie. She wasn't paying attention to where they were going, so she was surprised when they stopped walking at the kissing bridge.  
"Um, so I need to tell you something." Richie's face was serious.   
"What?" Marley answered with a lighthearted giggle. She reached up to fix his crown, which was precariously close to falling off the side of his head. As she pulled her hand away, Richie caught it and held it against the side of his face. He inhaled deeply.  
"Marlene, I love you." He had never said her first name before, not even a nickname. She didn't know what to say, but she opened her mouth anyways, hoping some sound would come out. With a loud crash, the fireworks began, saving her from having to speak but causing her to jump. She and Richie both laughed, and Richie put his free hand on the side of her face, pulling her in. Marley compared Richie's kiss to Patricks'. Patrick's kisses were sweet and slow, much like honey, his favorite word. But this kiss was almost desperate, yet somehow still calm. It told Marley just how long Richie had wanted to do this. She felt him wince and she pulled away, giving him a worried look. "I'm fine," he insisted. He had never been better. "There's a pretty good view of the fireworks from right here, if you want to stay."   
"Yeah. In fact, I bet the view would be better from up here." Marley climbed onto the railing of the bridge, and Richie held onto her legs as she looked out over the park. She was watching the fireworks, but Richie was watching her. Marley reached down to put her hand on his head, but instead grabbed his crown and put it on her own.  
"That looks good on you," Richie said with a smile. When the fireworks ended, he took helped her down from the railing, and they walked hand in hand back to Mike's truck. Nobody else made any comments about the situation, but they all noticed as the two climbed in the backseat together, and Marley laid her head against Richie's shoulder.


	13. Chapter 13

Two days later, Marley was up early. It was just after 7 on Monday morning, but she had already been up for 20 minutes helping Richie sneak out of her house. It wasn't that he wasn't allowed in her house overnight, but Shannon had gotten a job at the Derry hospital and had to go in late, and even before Marley had had a boyfriend the rule had always been no boys without mom around. It wasn't that Robert didn't trust her, he just didn't know how to handle his daughter and a teenage boy in his house at the same time. If she had asked, her dad probably would've agreed to let Richie spend the night, especially because he didn't even know they were dating. In fact, he didn't even know she had broken up with Patrick. It wasn't like they were doing anything bad, anyways. They were just practically attached at the hip. Marley crept down the stairs by her parents bedroom, hoping her dad was still asleep.  
"Mornin', Kiddo," Robert called with a grin from the kitchen.   
"Shit," Marley whispered, as she stopped by the back door to grab a pair of shoes.  
"You sure are up early. Gotta work today?" Marley had never woken up before 8 of her own accord until they had moved to Derry.  
"Nope, not today."  
"You got plans?" Marley joined her dad at the kitchen table, slipping her shoes on as he sipped his coffee.  
"Yeah."   
"What're you up to?" Marley simply shrugged. "Going out with Patrick? I haven't seen much of him lately." She almost cringed at the sound of his name. Her ex boyfriend was a topic of conversation that was grossly off limits.  
"Nope. I'd, uh, get used to that though." Robert sat down his coffee. In her pocket, Marley's phone vibrated. She knew what it was, the text from Richie telling her to hurry up so he could stop loitering outside her house like a psycho.   
"Hey, you seem like you're in a hurry, but do you think you could sit down and talk for a minute?"   
"Could you give me a ride and we can talk in the car?" Marley wasn't exactly in a hurry, but she and Richie had a big day of drum lessons that she was looking forward to. Mostly because, at this point, drum lessons included Marley sitting in Richie's lap as he played whatever she wanted, singing softly in her ear and only stopping to plaster kisses to her cheek and nose.   
"Leah, car talks are your mom's thing. I like doing things across a table, I'm a teacher you know this."   
"Fine. Just, one second okay?" Robert shrugged and picked up his coffee again. Marley texted Richie that she would be a minute, and that he could start home without her if he wanted. She could probably walk to his house in her sleep. "Okay, let's talk," she said as she rejoined her dad. She hadn't meant it to sound as harsh as it did. She was greatful to have a dad that took such an interest in his daughter's life.   
"What did you mean about Patrick?"  
"We broke up." Robert raised his eyebrows in shock.  
"Really? Than who were you sneaking out of your window this morning?"  
"Dad! You were awake?"  
"You aren't a quite person, Leah." Yeah, okay. Marley told her dad everything that had happened since July first. He listened intently, nodding as he took in every detail. "So basically," she finished, "that's how I ended up sneaking Richie Tozier out of my room this morning. And I would like to add a disclaimer that we were not doing anything bad and I am still a perfect Angel child."   
"More information than I needed, but thanks for letting me know." Both of them laughed. "Can I meet him?"  
"If you want to walk me to the door, I'll let you, but I'd rather rain check on making a thing right now."  
"Sure." Robert got up, coffee cup still in head, and followed his daughter to the front door. "He a good guy?" He asked as she grabbed the handle.  
"Yeah. He is. He's great." Robert smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his daughters head.   
"I like him already." Marley opened the door and bounced down the stairs to meet Richie.  
"Ready to go?" She asked him, taking his hand and pulling him up from the bottom step where he was sitting.   
"Sure."  
"That's my dad, by the way." Richie had apparently not noticed Robert in the doorway until Marley pointed him out. Robert waved, and Richie waved back awkwardly.  
"Hey, Mr. Harper," Richie called, not sure what else to say.   
"You two have a good day," he answered, and shut the front door. He watched from the front door as Marley and Richie walked away from the house together. Marley swung their hands together between them, and Richie stopped to put his hat on her head. Since stealing his crown, he had grown rather fond of the sight of his girlfriend in hats, especially his.


End file.
